T Is For...Training Schedule

TRAINING schedule...This is a plan of scheduled days you specifically use to train for a run/bike/swim race/event.

FOR example, I have a half-marathon coming up in September so I have devised a plan with the help of my Virtual Race Coach app that will help me get from running 4-5 miles to 13.1 in a set amount of time, 24 weeks to be exact.

THE virtual race coach app has me on a 24 week plan since I'm starting now.  My run for today (April 20 when I wrote this post) is a 3 mile long slow run, and my app tells me that all miles should be at 70% effort.  The run should be conversational in nature and approx. 60 seconds slower than marathon pace. I can do that.

THERE are many training schedules or plans, if you will, out there and they range from beginner to advanced.  All you have to do is Google training plans or schedules and you will find plenty to work with. Here are a couple to look at...

COOL RUNNING has training schedules for everything from a couch to 5k to a full marathon.

HAL HIGDON dot com has everything you can think of an more when it comes to training for a race or event.  Think 5k to triathlon etc.

WHATEVER you are training for...there is a website to help you get from where you are right now to where you want to be in a specific amount of time.  Good luck and Godspeed!

• Are you training for a specific race or event?
• If so, tell me about it!  
• Are you enjoying some sunshine today?
• Have you smiled today? 

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck. 

"Limitations only exist if you let them" 

© 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

S Is For...Stretching

FOR the love of Pete, do not forget to stretch at least once a day (or more if you prefer).  

Dynamic and static stretches are essential to do before and after a run.  Dynamic stretches will activate and loosen up your leg muscles, getting you ready to run. Static stretches can help lower your heart rate after a run, they will also lessen your risk of injury and muscle soreness.

Here are 2 dynamic stretches to do to get ready for a run...

PRE-RUN

LEG-SWINGS...First thing you want to do is hold on to something, then stand on one leg and swing the other leg forward and back around 20 times, then swing that same leg side to side 20 times.  Repeat on the other leg. Make sure you get the full range of motion.


WALKING-LUNGES...Take a large step forward with your right leg, and bend the knee until your thigh is parallel to the floor and knee is aligned with your ankle. Push back upward, draw your left foot even with your right and step forward with the left. Try to keep your walking lunges fluid, and focus on proper form. Do as many as you are comfortable doing...approx 10 per leg.

Here are 3 static stretches for after you run...

POST-RUN...

KNEELING HIP-FLEXOR AND HAMSTRING...

STANDING QUAD...

STANDING CALF...

I've heard that yoga is also a great way to get in some stretching or Pilates even.  Enjoy the rest of your day sweet blogging friends of mine, blessings.

• Do you stretch daily, weekly, monthly or not at all?
• Does the term stretching mean that you reach across the dog/cat for the remote control, or ice cream way in the back of the freezer? 

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck. "Limitations only exist if you let them" © 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

Q Is For...Quads

QUADS or quadriceps femoris (latin for four headed muscle of the femur) are a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. (thanks Wikipedia)

THE four heads of the muscle are the  Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis, Vastus medialis, and the Vastus intermedius.

ALL four muscles are crucial for walking, running, jumping and squatting. As you can imagine they are very much needed for those Jump Squats I blogged about earlier in the challenge.

AS a runner my QUADS get sore when I do sprints or run a race, more so than when I just do my normal runs.  This is due to the fact that I am placing more strain on them than a normal easy run requires. As a result of being a runner it is important that I stretch and massage those muscles daily, as they are crucial if I want to continue to run without pain or injury. 

THANKS so much for stopping by my blog today.  I have enjoyed meeting new people through this A-Z Challenge and seeing the familiar faces of my running blogger friends. May the sun shine on your faces and joy be in your hearts. 

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck. 

 "Limitations only exist if you let them" 

© 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

P Is For...Plateau Effect

PLATEAU EFFECT occurs when a formerly effective measure ceases to cause further change, or in layman's terms when what you have been doing no longer works. This effect can occur in weight loss, running and even body building.  

MOSTLY we hear about the plateau effect happening to people trying to lose weight.  It has happened to me several times in my life.  A person can be going along losing weight steadily week after week, and then Wham o nothing...week after week.  Our bodies will become accustomed to what we do and demand more to ensure continued success. 

WEIGHT loss demands so much from our minds and bodies.  We have to stay focused but not obsessed on the number of calories we put in our bodies, and the types of foods we eat.  I try to eat clean (vegan) most of the time but I also make sure to eat sinful foods once in awhile so I don't fall off the wagon completely.  For example, I eat a dark chocolate square (a few times a week) when I need something sweet, or I will have a decaf coffee with sugar free french vanilla creamer, it satisfies my sweet tooth and I feel like I've been just a little bit bad.

UNFORTUNATELY a lot of people fall off the food wagon when they hit a plateau and end up gaining all their weight back plus some. I speak from experience. The trick is to not let it get you down, let it go and move forward.  Change up what you are doing, and that could mean upping your calories by 200 for 4-7 days (I know, it sounds horrible) then lower them back down to what they were for 4-7 days until you start to lose again (this is called cycling). Our bodies are amazing machines, and can adapt and overcome a lot.  

IT could also mean changing up your exercise regime'.  Like I said before, our bodies can become accustomed to the exercise or amount of exertion we are putting in, often times all it takes is adding in high intensity bursts here and there to make a difference.  Try it, and see where it gets you.

1. Have you ever hit a plateau?
2. If so, what kind was it, running, weight loss, body building?
3. Do you just like how the word plateau rolls off the tongue?
4. Have you seen the sunshine today?   

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck. 

 "Limitations only exist if you let them" 

© 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

O Is For...Over Training

OVER TRAINING is when you over do it and end up injured or suffering from exhaustion.  Of course, this is just my own definition of it.  Be aware, this post is really written for the runners out there, so if you don't run I will understand if you do a quick adios amigos and run (pun intended) for the hills.

ACCORDING  to Wikipedia Over training is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity.  Apparently over training is a common problem among weight trainers, runners and other athletes.

SPEAKING from personal experience, I've over trained a few times and last year sustained a horrible summer stealing painful son of a biscuit eating dog pelvic stress fracture because of it.  I am healed now and running again, but let me tell you, it was NOT worth it.  I ran too often, never ran on soft surfaces, and hardly ever added in any cross training...oh and I never really stretched.  No wonder I got hurt, well that and my critically low vitamin D levels that did not allow all the calcium in my body to actually strengthen my bones, but let's not go to far into all that mumbo jumbo.

THE moral of this story is take it slow and don't increase your mileage too fast (for the runners out there) and remember to stretch, stretch, stretch...and then stretch some more. Don't just run on concrete, get out there on some trails and enjoy nature at it's finest.  Not that I ever get to run the trails...I must confess, where I live there is nature in it's abundance so I don't have to go too far from my front door to enjoy it.

1. Have you ever experienced over training?
2. If so, were you injured?
3. Why are parkways places you drive and driveways places you park? 
4. Have you smiled today?
5. Do you know any son of a biscuit eating dogs?  

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck. 

 "Limitations only exist if you let them" 

© 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

N Is For...Negative Splits and Not To Forget

Not To Forget

LET'S take a moment to send healing thoughts and prayers to the people of Boston this morning. I'm a runner and this hits me right in the heart.  I awoke this morning with sadness and tears as I sat and drank my coffee and thought of those suffering in Boston.  It's such a senseless and maddening act of cowardice.  This next picture says what is in my runners heart.

 
A NEGATIVE SPLIT is not what you may think...it's not a contortionist who can do an upside down (or right side up) split while balancing between two chairs (or people) on a high wire.

(this was as close as I could get) *Google images*

A Negative Split is where you run the last half of a race, run or interval faster than the first half.  Us runners love to be able to do this, and more often than not. 

THERE are many benefits to running negative splits.  You learn to gradually increase how hard your heart and lungs need to work.  Running slower during the first half of your run will help to warm up your muscles and joints thoroughly, which helps to prevent injuries. One other benefit to running negative splits is you become a faster runner naturally, if you do it consistently.  

I have run negative splits often but have yet to test it in a race situation. 

BLESSINGS and hugs! Thanks ever so much for stopping by.

Questions to ponder upon...

1. Have you ever run a negative split?
2. Can you do the splits?
3. Do you like banana splits?

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck. 

 "Limitations only exist if you let them" 

© 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

M Is For...Muscles

MUSCLES are a band or bundle of fibrous tissue in a human or animal body that has the ability to contract, producing movement in or maintaining the position of parts of the body. (According to Wikipedia)

PART of my fitness regime' is to build muscle so I can burn more fat. This is a good thing.  I try to make sure that at least 1-2x a week I add in some muscle building exercises, and that usually consists of using my resistance bands or hand weights.  I also will add in pushups or some other body weight resistance exercise.

IT is important to continue building muscle as we age.  Doing so can slow the muscle loss that comes with aging, as well as build the strength of our muscles, increase bone density and help with arthritis pain.The CDC has found that building muscle can improve balance, blood-sugar control, as well as improve sleep and mental health.

BUILDING muscle is especially important for those who are dieting.  As we lose weight we can also lose muscle and that is not a good thing.  I would suggest if you are just starting out building muscle, find someone (maybe even a professional) who knows good form and is willing to teach it to you.  Building muscle is good, but bad form will only get you injured and an injury will leave you on the sidelines unable to do any muscle building at all.

HAVE a great day and go build some muscle, safely! 

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck. 

 "Limitations only exist if you let them" 

© 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

L Is For...Lean Body Mass & Lordy Lordy, I PR'D

Lordy Lordy, I PR'D...I ran the Pear Blossom 5k and hit a new PR...Last year my PR was 30:13 for the 5k. In May I ran a 5 mile race with my then 16yr old son J and finished in just over 50 minutes.   While out on a 10 mile training run (in May) I sustained a pelvic stress fracture and was off running for several months.  Today I ran that same 5k and crushed my last PR...my iPod time reads 29:47:1...woot woot...ok back to my original A-Z Challenge Post for the letter L.

LEAN BODY MASS is calculated by subtracting body fat weight from total body weight. It is comprised of everything in our body except body fat. It includes our organs, skin, muscle, bones and blood.

*Some medical formulas use lean body mass for various calculations of organ functions and medication doses*

A friend of mine convinced me (read talked me into) having my body fat percentage (and lean body mass) calculated.  When I went in a month or so ago to see what the results were, I was surprised, the numbers were higher than I imagined them to be.  I have since lost 11 lbs and that number has lowered to a nicer number in the healthy range. I am happy to say that finding out my body fat percentage challenged me to get into even better shape than I was. I'm a runner (y'all know that by now) and I like to think I'm in great shape...truth be told I have room to improve.  Don't we all? It's not necessary to know what your lean body mass is, but it's fun and can be helpful in regards to knowing your body fat percentage and what your medication dosages should be.

THIS is a great page to find out what your Lean Body Mass is.  Here is the calculation if you'd like to see it...Lean Body Mass = Body Weight – (Body Weight x Body Fat %).  Fitness Calculators has a few different calculators to find out your lean body mass, body fat%, resting heart rate, etc...I say go, check it out and have fun while your at it!

FYI...
FOR the average adult male about 42% of body weight is skeletal muscle and for the average adult female it's about 35%.

HOPE I have enlightened and entertained y'all today.  May sunshine be upon your shoulder and may you have a sparkle in your eye. Blessings my friends!

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck. 

"Limitations only exist if you let them" 

© 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.